Coming up soon - getting ready to finally do the wood floor... check back soon for the next update.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
BIG Update - 1 of 4
Finally an update that doesn't involve me working on something for hours at a time! The front door is refinished and the new glass is here. I'm glad this is finally done! Austin Cut Glass is the company that designed and installed the new windows, and refinished the door.
Coming up soon - getting ready to finally do the wood floor... check back soon for the next update.
Coming up soon - getting ready to finally do the wood floor... check back soon for the next update.
BIG Update - 2 of 4
I heard from the glass guy a couple of weeks ago - the last of the parts needed to build the new windows would be arriving soon! So soon I'll have a refreshed front door and new glass but a nasty, corroded porch light. Time to do something about it.
I took a magnet to the corroded, dirty fixture to try and figure out what it's made of. A lot of brass fixtures are really just brass-coated steel. Nearly all of them made these days - all cheap junk. This one is made out of solid brass so it's worth renewing instead of replacing. Here's what I'm up against:
It probably got this way for the same reason the leaded glass in the front door is corroded - wasp and hornet killer. Keep that stuff away from anything made of metal!
After I removed the fixture I had to take it apart, remove the corrosion and relacquer it. It's not a bad job. Just time consuming and you have to pay attention to any details the original finish had. In this case it was brushed brass, not polished. To recreate the finish all you have to do is sand the clean brass in the same direction it was sanded in originally. Simple. Clean all oils and fingerprints off the brass and apply lacquer.
Reassemble everything, add a new chain and some energy-saving light bulbs and you're done!
Installation is the reverse of removal. Now the porch light won't take away from the appearance of the refinished door and new windows.
I took a magnet to the corroded, dirty fixture to try and figure out what it's made of. A lot of brass fixtures are really just brass-coated steel. Nearly all of them made these days - all cheap junk. This one is made out of solid brass so it's worth renewing instead of replacing. Here's what I'm up against:
It probably got this way for the same reason the leaded glass in the front door is corroded - wasp and hornet killer. Keep that stuff away from anything made of metal!
After I removed the fixture I had to take it apart, remove the corrosion and relacquer it. It's not a bad job. Just time consuming and you have to pay attention to any details the original finish had. In this case it was brushed brass, not polished. To recreate the finish all you have to do is sand the clean brass in the same direction it was sanded in originally. Simple. Clean all oils and fingerprints off the brass and apply lacquer.
Reassemble everything, add a new chain and some energy-saving light bulbs and you're done!
Installation is the reverse of removal. Now the porch light won't take away from the appearance of the refinished door and new windows.
BIG Update - 3 of 4
The original owners of the house worked with the builder to have an upstairs bedroom closet fit a desk from the 1800s they had. That means one of the bedroom closets has no doors, door stop or even holes mortised in for hinges. I don't have a 100 year old desk so this doesn't really help me out any. Neither did the last two owners, but it must not have bothered them as much as it did me.
To hang a set of double doors you need all of the obvious stuff, and a few things that turn out to be not so obvious. Of course you need doors, hinges, handles, door stop, and something to keep them closed. To install all of this you'll need a router, drill, air-powered finish nailer (to do the door stop the quick way), 45 degree angle, hammer, chisel and skill saw.
The easiest way to get started is to measure the location of all the other door hinges in your house because odds are they're all the same height. You also have to measure how far into the door frame they're installed or the door will sit too far in or out when it's closed. Mark this on your door frame, set the router to the thickness of the hinges and make a cut. You'll have to use a hammer and chisel on the corners. Now carefully measure the same door you looked at earlier to get the location the hinge will be on the door and make a cut. Now you're ready to hang the door (or doors in my case) where you discover... these things don't fit!
Trimming the door is a lot easier than it sounds. Measure how much you need to remove and get at it. To trim hollow core doors you have to take material off the bottom, and since these just have dummy handles you remove wood from the side opposite the hinges. The best tool to use for this job is a planer. Bosch sells a good one for around $100, and as an added bonus it's not made in China! Now that the doors are the correct size and installed, cut sections of door stop and use the air nailer to install them. Then add the hardware.
The end result:
So why make a whole post about this? Because it's about 10 hours worth of work if you've never done it before. But if you're careful the end result will be just as good as if the doors were always there. Now this bedroom has a real closet!
To hang a set of double doors you need all of the obvious stuff, and a few things that turn out to be not so obvious. Of course you need doors, hinges, handles, door stop, and something to keep them closed. To install all of this you'll need a router, drill, air-powered finish nailer (to do the door stop the quick way), 45 degree angle, hammer, chisel and skill saw.
The easiest way to get started is to measure the location of all the other door hinges in your house because odds are they're all the same height. You also have to measure how far into the door frame they're installed or the door will sit too far in or out when it's closed. Mark this on your door frame, set the router to the thickness of the hinges and make a cut. You'll have to use a hammer and chisel on the corners. Now carefully measure the same door you looked at earlier to get the location the hinge will be on the door and make a cut. Now you're ready to hang the door (or doors in my case) where you discover... these things don't fit!
Trimming the door is a lot easier than it sounds. Measure how much you need to remove and get at it. To trim hollow core doors you have to take material off the bottom, and since these just have dummy handles you remove wood from the side opposite the hinges. The best tool to use for this job is a planer. Bosch sells a good one for around $100, and as an added bonus it's not made in China! Now that the doors are the correct size and installed, cut sections of door stop and use the air nailer to install them. Then add the hardware.
The end result:
So why make a whole post about this? Because it's about 10 hours worth of work if you've never done it before. But if you're careful the end result will be just as good as if the doors were always there. Now this bedroom has a real closet!
BIG update - 4 of 4
The water line. Fixed it in an afternoon! I think it leaked 8-10,000 gallons so the water bill was... high. But I posted a video on youtube of the leak, sent a link to the video + a copy of my receipts to the city and the bill was adjusted to be about my normal summer average bill. Thanks, San Antonio Water System! Here's how to track down and fix an underground water line leak.
First you need to figure out where the leak is coming from. Water flows downhill, so you have to find the highest wet spot in the ground and start digging. In my case I followed it up, towards the house and into the landscaping. You should also know what you're looking for. If you draw a straight line from your water meter and go towards the water spigot at the front corner of your house you now have a pretty good idea where the main water line runs. My leak was in that line so the water main was the culprit.
So now you've dug down and found a pipe (6 inches down in my case). Continue digging (carefully) uphill and you will locate the actual leak. My leak was a hairline crack about an inch and a half long, probably caused by roots growing around the water line. It shot a spray of water 3 or 4 feet into the air and looked like this:
The next step now that you've found the leak is to shut the water off at the street and remove the damaged section of water line.
Now you get to dig again - about 3 or 4 feet on both sides of your cut because you will have to bend both sections of the PVC line to splice in a new piece. To build the new piece of water line just measure the length of what you cut out and subtract about 1/2 inch. Attach an adapter to both ends by using pipe dope and cement and you're ready to install it.
Make sure you can install it by test-fitting it first. Dig and expose more pipe if you need to. Attach your new section of water line with the pipe dope and cement, and hold it all together for 30 seconds (so neither end of the repair section pulls out while the glue sets) and you're done.
Remove all roots within 6 inches in all directions and fill the trench with sand and the repair will last for decades.
First you need to figure out where the leak is coming from. Water flows downhill, so you have to find the highest wet spot in the ground and start digging. In my case I followed it up, towards the house and into the landscaping. You should also know what you're looking for. If you draw a straight line from your water meter and go towards the water spigot at the front corner of your house you now have a pretty good idea where the main water line runs. My leak was in that line so the water main was the culprit.
So now you've dug down and found a pipe (6 inches down in my case). Continue digging (carefully) uphill and you will locate the actual leak. My leak was a hairline crack about an inch and a half long, probably caused by roots growing around the water line. It shot a spray of water 3 or 4 feet into the air and looked like this:
The next step now that you've found the leak is to shut the water off at the street and remove the damaged section of water line.
Now you get to dig again - about 3 or 4 feet on both sides of your cut because you will have to bend both sections of the PVC line to splice in a new piece. To build the new piece of water line just measure the length of what you cut out and subtract about 1/2 inch. Attach an adapter to both ends by using pipe dope and cement and you're ready to install it.
Make sure you can install it by test-fitting it first. Dig and expose more pipe if you need to. Attach your new section of water line with the pipe dope and cement, and hold it all together for 30 seconds (so neither end of the repair section pulls out while the glue sets) and you're done.
Remove all roots within 6 inches in all directions and fill the trench with sand and the repair will last for decades.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Broken Water Line
This weekend I wanted to relax and only add that vent line from the upstairs bathroom. Little did I know that other things were planned for me.
The water main broke between the meter and the house - more or less directly under some bushes in front of the place. It wasn't a huge break, but it was enough to turn the surrounding area into mud and shoot mist a couple of feet in the air. I took loads of pics and even got a video of it. The more I have to convince San Antonio Water System there was a leak, the better.
Writeup coming tomorrow. For now, Danielle managed to scratch her retina and I'm in charge of taking care of her.
Never a dull moment...
The water main broke between the meter and the house - more or less directly under some bushes in front of the place. It wasn't a huge break, but it was enough to turn the surrounding area into mud and shoot mist a couple of feet in the air. I took loads of pics and even got a video of it. The more I have to convince San Antonio Water System there was a leak, the better.
Writeup coming tomorrow. For now, Danielle managed to scratch her retina and I'm in charge of taking care of her.
Never a dull moment...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
New Roof is Done
Finally a project that I didn't have to do. The new roof is on, and it only took a day from start to finish. The roofers showed up early and wrapped up close to 8 in the evening, so it was one very long day.
I did manage to grab a few pictures while the action was still going on.
This one shows the color of the new roof. Similar to what the old one probably was once upon a time, but just a bit lighter. The ridge vents weren't in yet when I took this - that was done towards the end of the job.
While I was up there I realized... that's not a bad view!
Looks like somebody still has the frame for an old satellite dish up on their roof. It must've gone up not long after the house was built because they haven't made them this big in a long time!
They're starting the ridge vents here. Cool old truck - the gauge clusters from these go for a pretty good price because they fit the '67-'72 regular-sized Ford trucks.
Here's the finished product!
Actual data showing how much the ridge vents are doing will come within the next few days. The radiant barrier dropped the temperature from the mid-140s to about 117-118. I'm really curious to see what more this will do!
At this point I'm laying low for a bit because I'm still waiting on Allstate to realize they got the wrong roofing material on their paperwork (adjustment check #1). Now they need to release the rest of the original claim money (check #2), and then whatever more the adjustment would've added to the rest of the original claim money (check #3). In other words, ramen may be on the menu this week. And by 'may' I mean 'boil 2 cups of water, add noodles and come back 3 minutes later.'
The roof work came out really well and they were the only roofing company to actually answer the phone, make an appointment show up and give an estimate on time, as promised, so I'm going to take a few minutes to plug the company that did it. They're A-Tex Roofing and Remodeling. http://www.a-texroofing.com or (210)-857-4151 or 1150 N. Loop 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78248. Ask for Nicholas, and mention you saw their info on a blog and they'll probably cut you a better deal. This one's an easy decision since they're the only roofing company I dealt with to actually deliver what they say they would. After bouncing back and forth with the glass guy for the last two months I can say this is the hugest thing over the competition.
Now the door... I was told earlier this week that the last glass bits that are needed were arriving on Wednesday, window being assembled this weekend (now) and that it'll get done sometime this week. *fingers crossed*
The only thing I have remaining to do this weekend is to properly vent a bathroom shower/tub to the outside with a new pipe that was added yesterday. Either the previous owner or the one before them changed the light/heater/fan unit that was in an upstairs bathroom. This is the one they didn't wire up correctly that I fixed last month. The problem is, the exhaust fan unit has a square-shaped outlet and somewhere in the box it came in was an adapter to make it 3 inches / round so you could connect it to your vent. They or whoever installed it didn't know what it was for and just tossed it. Brilliant move. Check back here late Sunday or Monday for a post showing how to fab up your own adapter and vent a bathroom.
I did manage to grab a few pictures while the action was still going on.
This one shows the color of the new roof. Similar to what the old one probably was once upon a time, but just a bit lighter. The ridge vents weren't in yet when I took this - that was done towards the end of the job.
While I was up there I realized... that's not a bad view!
Looks like somebody still has the frame for an old satellite dish up on their roof. It must've gone up not long after the house was built because they haven't made them this big in a long time!
They're starting the ridge vents here. Cool old truck - the gauge clusters from these go for a pretty good price because they fit the '67-'72 regular-sized Ford trucks.
Here's the finished product!
Actual data showing how much the ridge vents are doing will come within the next few days. The radiant barrier dropped the temperature from the mid-140s to about 117-118. I'm really curious to see what more this will do!
At this point I'm laying low for a bit because I'm still waiting on Allstate to realize they got the wrong roofing material on their paperwork (adjustment check #1). Now they need to release the rest of the original claim money (check #2), and then whatever more the adjustment would've added to the rest of the original claim money (check #3). In other words, ramen may be on the menu this week. And by 'may' I mean 'boil 2 cups of water, add noodles and come back 3 minutes later.'
The roof work came out really well and they were the only roofing company to actually answer the phone, make an appointment show up and give an estimate on time, as promised, so I'm going to take a few minutes to plug the company that did it. They're A-Tex Roofing and Remodeling. http://www.a-texroofing.com or (210)-857-4151 or 1150 N. Loop 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78248. Ask for Nicholas, and mention you saw their info on a blog and they'll probably cut you a better deal. This one's an easy decision since they're the only roofing company I dealt with to actually deliver what they say they would. After bouncing back and forth with the glass guy for the last two months I can say this is the hugest thing over the competition.
Now the door... I was told earlier this week that the last glass bits that are needed were arriving on Wednesday, window being assembled this weekend (now) and that it'll get done sometime this week. *fingers crossed*
The only thing I have remaining to do this weekend is to properly vent a bathroom shower/tub to the outside with a new pipe that was added yesterday. Either the previous owner or the one before them changed the light/heater/fan unit that was in an upstairs bathroom. This is the one they didn't wire up correctly that I fixed last month. The problem is, the exhaust fan unit has a square-shaped outlet and somewhere in the box it came in was an adapter to make it 3 inches / round so you could connect it to your vent. They or whoever installed it didn't know what it was for and just tossed it. Brilliant move. Check back here late Sunday or Monday for a post showing how to fab up your own adapter and vent a bathroom.
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